Author's Note: I disclaim. I hope you enjoy this one, bit of a filler but it is incredibly important for setting up the next few chapters. Some important character developments and revelations.

Enjoy xx

Fiyero kept his promise to take Elphaba on more than one date. They explored every inch of Shiz Town from the greasy takeaways on the Hilltown where poverty mixed with violence and Fiyero joked about the benefits of Elphaba having skin that, in his own words, 'scared the shit out of people' (to which Elphaba actually found herself laughing) and ensured they could walk unharmed through the neighbourhood, to the mass-marketed chain stores that prompted Elphaba to fast rather than subject herself to their manufactured food products and led to several lectures aimed at Fiyero and his contribution towards the continuation of such 'disgusting foodstuffs and the promotion of dangerous attitudes'.

Though Fiyero remained on the fence about the Animal banns and was sceptical about the extent to which Elphaba said they had gone, he certainly loved to listen to her talk. Even when she got angry with him – and oh how she did – he relished the moment and found her passion was easily redirected to more amorous pursuits. To his credit, Fiyero often found great interest in questioning her and when he grew frustrated with her answers and began yelling that she was too intense, Elphaba discovered his passion could also be led astray.

Elphaba recognised that her life had never been something she was glad to wake up to in the morning, nor had she ever considered it something upon which she wished to reflect. When she did give it a second thought, she suspected that there were many people who treated life as she had and that she was in the fortunate position of having a fantastic career ahead of her and friends who didn't laugh in her face. Galinda said that University was supposed to give them the best days of their lives . . . Elphaba had to concede that she was right, although the statement was hardly original.

"Elphie! Elphie! How are you? I'm good, listen, we haven't been out in a while and Pfannee says that they've introduced moisturiser to the ladies' room at the Hive!" Galinda chattered almost to herself as she flounced down beside Elphaba and Fiyero, whom she noticed quickly stopped holding hands. She rolled her eyes. "Elphaba, why do you always do that when people come to sit next to you? There's nothing wrong with holding hands."

Fiyero shifted uncomfortably in his seat and Elphaba glared at the blonde. "None of your damn business, Galinda. And I'm not going to Hive. No!" She pressed, when her deflated friend lifted a finger in the air to rebut. "Galinda, I have no time for people like Pfannee. They are the most irritating girls spouting the most parroted opinions. They have no personality and the only reason they're not spreading rumours about the horrific genetic deficiency that gave me my skin colour is because they wouldn't dare risk their friendship with you. Or Fiyero."

Galinda huffed and began to lay out her various parchments and quills. Elphaba always scoffed at such ridiculously superfluous adornments. "You know, Elphie, maybe if you looked a little bit harder at these girls, you'd see that they're just as nice as me."

"I have looked twice and thrice at all those people, Lin. I looked at you twice and I saw how you're not all what you project on the outside. But those girls haven't grown up yet. They don't understand themselves never mind what it means to be a friend. It's a hard thing to do to be forgiving of someone like me, I know, although I do blame them for their ignorance. But I'm not gonna subject myself to it."

"Well fine. But won't you come out with our charmed circle?"

Elphaba rolled her eyes in anticipation of replying in the positive but was saved from voicing it when the lecturer began. "Today I'm going to dedicate the hour to a review of your most recent piece of coursework. We do this every year for every class to give you a chance to improve for your next assignment, which I'm sure you'll be pleased to hear isn't due until after the holidays."

Laughter rippled through the student body at the affirmation that they were free of studying for the next few weeks and the lecturer, satisfied that he had made some sort of connection with his audience and foolishly convinced their attention was now his for the remainder of the class, moved on. Fiyero nudged Elphaba, her pen poised lazily over the paper, not expecting to take many notes that period. "Fae, does he mean the Lurlinemas holidays?"

She turned her head slightly so as to make her look of contempt more effective. "Yes, Fiyero, he is talking about the Lurlinemas holidays. Where have you been whilst it's been snowing here for the last two weeks? And whilst my pretty little blonde has been smothering my room in mass-marketed decorations?"

"Actually, they're far too expensive to be mass-marketed. I'll have you know we have the finest decorations in Oz." Galinda said with a proud sense of accomplishment.

Fiyero chuckled and apologised. "He wouldn't have noticed, Galinda. He's been too busy between my legs."

"Elphaba! Your tongue!" Galinda hissed while Fiyero blushed and saw the opportunity to take her hand again without argument. Oz, he loved her tongue. Fiyero settled back as comfortably as he could in his seat and thanked whatever higher power was responsible for this lecture turning into a slack-off and let-your-mind-wander session. He thought about telling Elphaba, but then he pictured what she'd say when he mentioned 'a higher power' and decided against it.

The lecturer had moved on to comparing the results of this year's class to those of previous years. Fiyero heard Elphaba and Galinda muttering complaints about the relevance of such comparisons to their future grade performance and he felt no qualms about zoning out once more. He thought about the upcoming holiday. He loved Lurlinemas, if anything it was a chance to be treated like a boy again; he'd go home and be with his brothers and sisters and his mother would spoil him while his father took him hunting and game-fighting with the tribe. He couldn't wait.

Elphaba shifted in irritation at something on the slide and she pressed his hand and smiled. He returned it, but his thoughts were suddenly clouded with the reminder that the holidays would mean he would not see either Elphaba or Galinda, and that his borderline emotionally-unstable-at-times girlfriend would have to go back to her home, where she was treated not much better than a fly on the wall. He immediately planned some remedy.

Dear Mam,

Thanks for the underwear ma, but you really don't need to send me any of that stuff because I can buy it here myself. I know you say they don't make it in Shiz like they make it in the Vinkus, but really it's not necessary. I even wash my own clothes sometimes.

I'm looking forward to coming home for the holidays and game-hunting for the first time in a while. And I'm glad to come home knowing I'm going back to the same school I left. Been studying really hard, mam. Honestly, it's nothing to do with me. It's my girlfriend. She's friends with Galinda Upland (of the Upper Uplands – she instructed me to add that if I mentioned her, probably in the hopes that you would immediately recognise the name) who is a wonderful girl, too. Crazy, but a good friend. Elphaba Thropp is my girlfriend and Galinda thinks you will have heard of her, too.

I only recently realised how close it is to the Lurlinemas Holidays and to be brief, I want to invite Elphaba to Kiamo Ko. And as a surprise for her I want to invite Galinda Upland, too. Please?

Fiyero Tiggular.

With bated breath Fiyero posted his letter to the Vinkus along with heaps of money and every time-saving stamp inked onto the envelope in the hopes that it would reach his home at the earliest possible moment, ensuring he received a reply in a similar time frame. He was still undecided as to whether or not this was to be a surprise for Elphaba; he had surprised her before a few times and each had been well met. Once, on a day when they had planned to venture as far a field from Shiz as possible on foot and it had rained steadily, Fiyero had skipped class and met a decidedly pissed off Elphaba whose heart he then made melt when he brought her into his room and she laid her eyes on an indoor picnic he had set out on the floor of his sitting room. A few other times he had bought her rare books he knew she wanted, though that had backfired on him slightly, because she then spent the following few days relating to him the contents of each one. Not that he did not enjoy watching her passion for anything, he would just rather it was directed toward him.

He was therefore assured that she at least enjoyed the thought process connected with surprises. But this surprise was on a much grander scale and he was not entirely comfortable with keeping it from someone to whom he was so close.

"If you ask me, and you do, seeing as we are sitting here in a restaurant in which our dear Elphie would never dare to set foot, the only issue is whether or not she would be permitted to go to Kiamo Ko." Galinda chirruped from her seat where she thumbed a tassel on her purse, inevitably bringing about its eventual replacement with a purse of higher quality and durability for her nervous ticks.

Fiyero nodded and thumbed his own belongings; he was really nervous about this. Not only the reception of his gesture but the gesture itself. How fast was he falling for this girl? He had never before invited a female to his home and shown her off, but he was fervently proud of Elphaba and proud of his feelings for her. He knew in himself that he felt comfortable with this level of commitment to her. What bothered him was that he was unsure of her commitment to him. "Galinda, do you think she'll even like it?"

The blonde princess snapped up her eyes from her tea cup. "Why, Fiyero. Do you doubt yourself?" She asked curiously. "Of course she'll like it! You'll show up at her house all handsome and charm the pants off her father. You'll whisk her away to the Vinkus and she'll be eternally grateful."

Fiyero sighed in frustration and slammed his hand on the table. The silverware clinked and suddenly the clientele became their audince. "No, Galinda, that's your fantasy!" He said, raising his voice and staring her down.

Galinda returned his stare with equal fervour, but his words began to have another meaning and her expression softened into one of sadness. "Yes, you're right. That is my fantasy. I long to be swept off my feet and to be fallen madly in love with because I am a girl and that's what many of us wish. Perhaps you have forgotten that it was my wish to be swept off my feet by you and I would ask you to remember that." Fiyero avoided her powerful gaze and trained his eyes on his trousers. "You seem to make the same mistake as many in assuming that Elphaba's aesthetic differences make her different to most other girls and especially to me. Well, I have news for you. She wants to be the same in some respects. She may not admit it, and it may not be apparent in her behaviour or attitude, but if you were to offer her the chance of being . . . normal . . . whatsoever that may be . . . I bet you she would grab it."

Though it made him uncomfortable that his girlfriend would so easily alter herself, Fiyero agreed with Galinda. Apology was written on his face for the insensitive wording of his comment. One of them did not think a spoken apology was necessary and the other did not expect an apology at all, in any form. "So it's settled then that this is not an impossible hope." Galinda sipped her tea self-consciously, assuring herself with darting glances that no other patron in the establishment had noticed their tiff. "I'll keep it from her. I'll show up after the holiday itself and ask permission for her to stay with me for the rest of the holiday."

"Sounds wonderful for her."

He nodded. "But Galinda, I have another part I wish you to play."

In the week prior to the break up for the Lurlinemas celebration, when students including Elphaba were packing and Fiyero was growing increasingly nervous, a reply arrived from the Vinkus.

My dear son,

I must say your father and I have never been quite so surprised at one of your letters before. I shall elaborate.

At your request, I will desist from sending you underwear but you are of course aware that I only look out for your comfort. I am trying to ensure that you want for nothing so that you might be more inclined to focus on your studies. As I sincerely hope you are well aware, your recent performance at the Universities to which we have sent you have sorely disappointed us. I must admit, however, I was suspicious of your sudden increase in academic achievement and we were both intensely curious as to the source of such progress. Naturally, I expected an explanation in your letter, but not the one I was given.

A girl, Fiyero? I have never known you to give a flying monkey what any girl thinks of you beyond your attire and your pocketbook, and yet I am now to understand that Miss Thropp has influenced you to such an extent that you are well on your way to gaining marks in the top percentile? University certainly changes us. As it happens, I do know both of the families to whom these young women you mentioned belong. Miss Upland, of course, her mother and father are from Gillikin and well-respected. Miss Thropp, I knew her mother. A remarkable woman with a remarkable daughter from what I hear, though her father is a religious extremist - to put it bluntly - and many people spoke of the consequences his attitude might have on the girls. It seems that for his eldest at least they have not been too damaging; she certainly has excellent taste in men!

I am intrigued beyond belief to meet these people that have so altered my son. Of course they may stay; I imagine this to be one of the best holidays we have ever enjoyed!

All our love Fiyero, your mother.

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